Wednesday, April 14, 2010

#19 Ultimate Frisbee

The weather in Provo is finally starting to get over her bi-polar disorder and settle into a stable spring sunshine. This means it is time for spontaneous games of Ultimate to pop up all over campus. Forget reading days and review sessions, it is time for FRISBEE!!

An Ultimate game is an interesting phenomenon the first time you witness it (no doubt you have already). It starts with one guy casually pulling a Frisbee out of his backpack. Then another zoobie walking on the sidewalk drops his bag and baby alligator claps his hands, “over here!!” The two practice the latest and greatest passes, trampling any studying students in their way. A few more kids join in on the fun, disregarding any responsibilities they have to run around barefoot in the grass. Before long 23 students are running, passing, and screaming at each other, all united by their love of the game. They play for hours, displaying their incredible hand-eye coordination and stamina.

To their credit, the Ultimate players do have serious athletic ability. This was obtained in their high school years when they either ran cross country, were in marching band, or played Ultimate at lunch. However, they take their sport as seriously as any other official BYU athlete. They play at all possible times:

• At a ward party—knocking your plate of funeral potatoes and dry chicken to the ground.
• In between classes—blocking the path of hundreds of students who are trying to traverse the area.
• In the middle of your soccer game with friends—Ultimate takes priorities at the local parks.
• Whenever you want to sit on the grass and peacefully enjoy the sunshine—sit on the sidewalk.

At all these times the Frisbee players make it definitively clear to those around them that Ultimate Frisbee is the ultimate priority. Lucky for you though, they’ll always invite you to play.

So while it would be fitting to wish you luck with the hell known as finals week, I think you are more in need of something along the lines of: good luck with flying disks.